Who's tackling the challenge of grilling or smoking the Thanksgiving (US) turkey this year? We're traveling so green bean casserole might be the only holiday-related cooking I do, although I'm a bit curious about how it might taste with a little wood smoke!

I'm off work starting Wednesday and am thinking about doing a little roadtrip or two to see what I might find on the culinary frontier...

Starting to prep already. Ive got my apple cranberry chutney on the stove as we speak. I'm doing a tradtional oven roasted, apple brined, turkey and a Mojo marinated rotisserie turkey this year. Going to use a little pecan and hickory on the rotis turkey. Got my apple brine done and in the freezer ready to thaw. Probably start the brining tomorrow night and marinate Wednesday night. My youngest son will reprise his bananas foster bread pudding for dessert and my oldest son will be fire master on the rotis.

My youngest arrives tomorrow afternoon, so Im going to make shrimp and grits with andouille, topped with a tasso gravy. Wedenesday when the oldest arrives with grand babies were having chicken and andouille gumbo made from the carcass of last years two turkeys.

Whishing all here a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family and friends and remember give Thanks always.

Starting to prep already. Ive got my apple cranberry chutney on the stove as we speak. I'm doing a tradtional oven roasted, apple brined, turkey and a Mojo marinated rotisserie turkey this year. Going to use a little pecan and hickory on the rotis turkey. Got my apple brine done and in the freezer ready to thaw. Probably start the brining tomorrow night and marinate Wednesday night. My youngest son will reprise his bananas foster bread pudding for dessert and my oldest son will be fire master on the rotis.

My youngest arrives tomorrow afternoon, so Im going to make shrimp and grits with andouille, topped with a tasso gravy. Wedenesday when the oldest arrives with grand babies were having chicken and andouille gumbo made from the carcass of last years two turkeys.

Whishing all here a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family and friends and remember give Thanks always.

Any turkey gumbo tips? I'm smoking our turkey tomorrow so I can make stock for gumbo on Wednesday, but I don't really know what I'm doing.

When you are done carving it. Throw the carcass and remaining bones in a crock pot with veggies and make Turkey stock. I usually do 2 bathes and combine them into one big batch before freezing. Best stock ever!

When you are done carving it. Throw the carcass and remaining bones in a crock pot with veggies and make Turkey stock. I usually do 2 bathes and combine them into one big batch before freezing. Best stock ever!

Agreed. I have a 7 gallon stock pot I use for turkey stock. I usually get the bones from two turkeys at Thanksgiving (and I freeze them) and two or three more at Christmas, so I just brown them and dump them all in the pot and let things simmer for a day or even two. I usually pick off as much meat as I can and freeze it separately for adding to the finished soup.

Here's a tip I remember from Julia Child's cooking show: roast the bones. This works for poultry as well as beef bones, so just spread them in a sheet or roasting pan and put them in the oven until well-browned (about the color of fried chicken). I roast them at 450°F for a short time (15-30 minutes) and they brown up nicely. The bones go in the pot and then I deglaze the crusty bits from the roasting pan and add them as well. You can also brown your vegetables (usually carrots, onion and celery) in the oven at the same time and this can add a bit more flavor as well.

I find this is a good thing to occupy my time during Christmas holidays. It's fun to have a big pot of stock going while I do other things around the house, and the few gallons of turkey stock I get from this is always useful.

One of my favorite uses for turkey stock is braising cabbage or kohlrabi in it instead of milk. The stock somehow cuts the cabbage smell quite a bit. Add a bit of cream to the leftover braising liquid and add other veggies and/or meat, and it makes a really good soup, too.

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.

When you are done carving it. Throw the carcass and remaining bones in a crock pot with veggies and make Turkey stock. I usually do 2 bathes and combine them into one big batch before freezing. Best stock ever!

Agreed. I have a 7 gallon stock pot I use for turkey stock. I usually get the bones from two turkeys at Thanksgiving (and I freeze them) and two or three more at Christmas, so I just brown them and dump them all in the pot and let things simmer for a day or even two. I usually pick off as much meat as I can and freeze it separately for adding to the finished soup.

Here's a tip I remember from Julia Child's cooking show: roast the bones. This works for poultry as well as beef bones, so just spread them in a sheet or roasting pan and put them in the oven until well-browned (about the color of fried chicken). I roast them at 450°F for a short time (15-30 minutes) and they brown up nicely. The bones go in the pot and then I deglaze the crusty bits from the roasting pan and add them as well. You can also brown your vegetables (usually carrots, onion and celery) in the oven at the same time and this can add a bit more flavor as well.

I find this is a good thing to occupy my time during Christmas holidays. It's fun to have a big pot of stock going while I do other things around the house, and the few gallons of turkey stock I get from this is always useful.

One of my favorite uses for turkey stock is braising cabbage or kohlrabi in it instead of milk. The stock somehow cuts the cabbage smell quite a bit. Add a bit of cream to the leftover braising liquid and add other veggies and/or meat, and it makes a really good soup, too.

Great tips. Thanks. I've had a stock pot going all night, but I've never heard of roasting the bones before hand. I'll have to try that with the Christmas turkey...

When you are done carving it. Throw the carcass and remaining bones in a crock pot with veggies and make Turkey stock. I usually do 2 bathes and combine them into one big batch before freezing. Best stock ever!

Agreed. I have a 7 gallon stock pot I use for turkey stock. I usually get the bones from two turkeys at Thanksgiving (and I freeze them) and two or three more at Christmas, so I just brown them and dump them all in the pot and let things simmer for a day or even two. I usually pick off as much meat as I can and freeze it separately for adding to the finished soup.

Here's a tip I remember from Julia Child's cooking show: roast the bones. This works for poultry as well as beef bones, so just spread them in a sheet or roasting pan and put them in the oven until well-browned (about the color of fried chicken). I roast them at 450°F for a short time (15-30 minutes) and they brown up nicely. The bones go in the pot and then I deglaze the crusty bits from the roasting pan and add them as well. You can also brown your vegetables (usually carrots, onion and celery) in the oven at the same time and this can add a bit more flavor as well.

I find this is a good thing to occupy my time during Christmas holidays. It's fun to have a big pot of stock going while I do other things around the house, and the few gallons of turkey stock I get from this is always useful.

One of my favorite uses for turkey stock is braising cabbage or kohlrabi in it instead of milk. The stock somehow cuts the cabbage smell quite a bit. Add a bit of cream to the leftover braising liquid and add other veggies and/or meat, and it makes a really good soup, too.

Great tips. Thanks. I've had a stock pot going all night, but I've never heard of roasting the bones before hand. I'll have to try that with the Christmas turkey...

Just one thing to keep in mind - roasting the bones deepens the color of the stock as well as the flavor. You won't get a nice, light-colored or almost clear stock, but rather a golden brown (like fried chicken as I mentioned above). Some folks don't like the darker color but I find it more than makes up for it by adding a lot more taste.

Some folks also leave out any roasted skin as it adds fat to the stock that often has to be removed later. If I happen across any leftover skin (which is rare), I add it as it also adds flavor, and then remove the fat later.

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.